Mass Effect 3 is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on March 6, 2012. A Wii U version of the game titled Mass Effect 3: Special Edition was later released on November 18, 2012. Mass Effect 3 is the final installment of the Mass Effect trilogy and a sequel to Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. The game is set within the Milky Way Galaxy in 2186, where civilization is invaded by a highly advanced machine race of synthetic-organic starships called Reapers. It concludes the story of Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier who is tasked with forging alliances between species for the war.